Aug 25, 2010 By Jim Downey 3 min read

Robert Rohanna hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation Tuesday in the final round of the West Penn Open, and yet, left St. Clair Country Club frustrated with his 2-under 70. Rohanna finished in a tie for third with Robert McClellan at 4-under 140 after carding his second 70 in as many rounds, three strokes behind Kevin Shield’s winning score of 7-under 137.

Rachel Rohanna made the cut, but shot 9-over 81 to finish tied in 49th with a two-round total of 156.

Now, back to Robert Rohanna’s final round. The Penn State University and Waynesburg Central graduate had 16 pars and closed out the front nine birdie-birdie.

“The only green I missed, I was on the fringe and putted,” added Rohanna. “I hit only one bad shot.”

He attributed the lack of birdies to the condition of the fairways, his play on the par-5s, and his putting.

“The fairways were so wet. Half the time the ball was covered in mud. I’d take a perfect divot and the ball would curve,” explained Rohanna. “I couldn’t get a putt to fall all day. I had 35 putts.

“I was burning edges (of the cup). It was getting pretty frustrating. I three-putted the last hole (a par-5) for par.”

He continued, “I was 1-under on the par-5s. That’s the reason I didn’t finish first. They were short par-5s and I couldn’t score.”

Rohanna felt things might be turning around after birdies on No. 8 and 9.

“After I birdied No. 8 and 9, I thought ‘Okay, here I go,'” said Rohanna. “I had nine straight pars on the back.”

Though he shot the same score both days, he said the rounds were quite different.

“I shot 70 in the first round and hit as bad on the first few holes as I could. (The second-round score) feels like the worst 70 I could shoot,” said Rohanna.

Rachel Rohanna made the cut after opening with a 3-over 75, but found some trouble in the second round for a higher finish.

She carded no birdies, and had eight bogeys and one double bogey. The Ohio State sophomore had three 3-putts and counted two penalties after finding water hazards.

“I was really not putting bad. The greens were tough,” said Rohanna. “I hit my drives decent, not great, but they weren’t getting me in trouble. I didn’t give myself enough opportunities for birdie on my approach shots.”

Rohanna parred five of the first six holes on the front and five of the opening seven on the back. She’s not quite sure why her bigger scores seem to come in bunches.

“It’s not a lack of concentration,” explained Rohanna. “I’m not hitting terrible shots. I’m just not scoring.

“My mental game has come a long way since high school.”

The tournament also marked the first time Rohanna played against men since her days as the top golfer for John Garber and the Waynesburg Central Raiders.

“It was good to play against them. I wanted to compare my game to the best players. It was fun,” said Rohanna. “I was just expecting to post a good score and make the cut. I thought I’d have to shoot 73, but made the cut with a 75.

“I gave myself a couple strokes and wanted to shoot a 77 (in the second round).”

As for her approach, “I had the chance to work on some shots. It wasn’t as stressful (compared to playing against women). I wasn’t expected to do well.”

Rohanna and the Lady Buckeyes open the fall schedule with a tournament on Sept. 16.